The Newhall Signal
3/9/2003
Judy Mook
A lively, but peaceful rally supporting American military troops as they prepare for a possible war in Iraq attracted the attention of valley motorists crossing McBean Parkway and Valencia Boulevard, Saturday morning.
Horns honked and the crowd of more than one hundred cheered Saturday as demonstrators lined the sidewalks on all four corners of the intersection. Many of the men, women and children waved flags and carried signs in support of President George W. Bush’s proposal for impending military action.
Santa Clarita Valley residents whose family members are in various branches of the United States military came to the rally to show support for all of those facing war in the coming weeks.
Saugus resident Donna Gilley said she receives an e-mail almost every day from her son, Kevin, a Navy fireman on the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Persian Gulf. Gilley said her son is a 2001 Saugus High School graduate who joined the Navy a year ago. She said she finds comfort by being a member of the local Navy Moms group, as well as the frequent e-mails from her son.
“I live every day for that e-mail,” Gilley said. “I’m so scared.”
Vietnam war veteran Tom Dangelo knows first hand what the young soldiers will face in battle. Dangelo was a sergeant in the Navy and served three tours on the USS Ashtabula and the USS Kawishiwi from 1967 to 1971.
“This is something we have to do,” Dangelo said. “I would go back and serve again if they would let me.”
Standing by his side was Dangelo’s son, Marcus, a 25-year-old former sonar technician and service veteran. The younger Dangelo served in the Persian Gulf twice from 1995 to 2000. He said he drew encouragement when he heard of support from home. Both men were dressed in their Navy whites.
“(My dad and I) are here to support our troops,” Marcus said.
U.S. Rep. Howard P. “Buck” McKeon told demonstrators he was impressed by the support of the people.
“This is fantastic,” McKeon said. “We think what we are doing is important.”
The congressman wore a gray T-shirt with a quote from President Bush’s Sept. 20, 2001 speech stating, “We will not tire. We will not falter. We will not fail.”
“The president has done a great job, but I have watched him age since he took office,” McKeon said. “President Bush does not want to send the troops to war, but if he does, they’ll (the troops) have everything they need. That’s the kind of commander in chief he is.”
The demonstration was organized by the Santa Clarita Valley Republican Headquarters.
Director Barbara Barrick said it was hastily organized about 10 days ago by using flyers, e-mail, and the Internet to get the word out. A subsequent rally is scheduled for March 20.
“The anti-American protests have gotten a lot of attention,” Barrick said. “They are well-meaning people, but a lot of it is backed by communists. We want the community to know a lot of people support President Bush and the troops.”
Although the rally remained peaceful, several disagreements broke out among the demonstrators.
A small group of Vietnam veterans brought an Iraqi flag, ripped it and threw it into the street for cars to run over.
“This is a symbolic gesture against the Iraqi government, not the people,” said one Vietnam veteran from North Hollywood.
But Santa Clarita resident Robert Lopez did not approve of the gesture.
“We are not here to degrade the Iraqi people but to support them,” Lopez said.
A small group of demonstrators supporting peace stood on a corner across the street from the larger, more vocal crowd.
Larry Kanner, president of the Democratic Alliance for Action and founder of the Santa Clarita Coalition for Peace and Justice, worried that if President Bush leads the United States to war, it will be long, drawn out and messy.
“I’m hoping Saddam caves, but I don’t think that is realistic,” Kanner said.
The 61-year-old Vietnam veteran was a computer technician during the early years of the conflict. He said he saw many bad things happen while traveling within the embattled country.
“The people didn’t want us there,” he recalled. “They didn’t see us as the great liberators we saw ourselves. It is ironic that we took over fighting from the French and now they are not behind us in this one.”